Hello all,
I’m new to the comp but would love to contribute some thoughts on some of this year’s works. Better late than never… I don’t have a particular review format yet but will provide my thoughts.
Will update as I play through some stories.
Thanks 
The Dragon of Silverton Mine tasks a wizard (the player) with saving mine workers from a collapsed mine after a dragon attack. Short and sweet, this approximately hour long story has charm.
The story blends choice-based fiction, with a few bells and whistles, with the more open-ended exploratory structure of parser-based fiction. A clean, consistent, and simple interface facilitates this kind of interaction without getting in the way of enjoying the story.
The player navigates the story by clicking on hi-lighted prose and a few meta-action buttons at the bottom of the screen. One of the most off-putting aspects, for me, of parser-based fiction is when you develop a long list of failed actions and it forms a long list that breaks the immersion of the story. Silverton Mine avoids this by having each action display its consequences below the descriptive text of the scene and replacing it after every action.
The story can be broken down into two types of interaction: Exploratory and Narrative. The exploration gameplay creates that open-ended feel of parser fiction. Every so often an interaction will trigger a narrative scene that tells a small, linear, story. Which I think is a great way to blend these two types of experiences.
I really enjoyed the ability to combine items. Allowing two items you find to be put together to form a “key” for a puzzle. Silverton Mine also does a great job at the delicate balance between items being to obvious of a solution and making you think just a little about what your reading.
All and all, a small story well worth the time played.
Recommend